Apparatus for assembling artificial teeth



Nov. 1s', 1952 s.' FOURNET I APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLINC ARTIFICIAL TEETH 2SHEETS-SHEET l Filed May 29, 1950 llllllll y 'IJs/(3.;. .359 /f @aINVENTOR. i iM/79g C. [5u/W2!" ,'Nav'. 18, 1952 s. c. FOURNET y2,618,063

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING ARTIFICIAL TEETH Filed May 29, 1950 2SHEETS-SHEET 2 IN V EN TOR.

HTORNEX Patented Nov. 18, 1952 APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLIN G ARTIFICIALTEETH `SidneyC.Fournet, New;rleansLa.

Application May 29, 1950,' .Serial No. 164,938

(Cl. .S24- 11) l0k Claims.

' My invention relates to improvements in prosthetic dentistry, withparticular-reference to completedental restorationsralthough in itsrbroader aspects not limited thereto.

Briefly and generally stated, the invention has for its primary aim tomake possible the expeditious and inexpensive quantity productionA ofanatomically articulated upper and lower sets of artificial teeth in allthedifferent sizes or varieties which the dentist may require for hisdifferent patients.

Sets of individual -false teeth, usually secured to a card or alength oftape, are made available to dentists in 'different shapes and sizes..Then the dentist, after selecting a set which is suitable for anindividual patient, must, in accordance with'the standard practice, makean anatomical set-up of the teeth (uppers and lowers) on hisarticulator. This means the individual setting of each tooth in waxreproductions of the alveolar ridges of the patient are secured to thearticulator. Even when the operator is an eX- pert,'much'trial and errorprocedure (readjustmentvof teeth here and there) is involved beforemanipulation of the articulator indicates that perfect anatomicalarticulation has been achieved.

' The production, on an articulator, of an anatomically articulated setof uppers and lowers in the wax ridge-carried state, as above mentioned,is a' task requiring'from two to four hours for even ari-expert in theiield, and, of course, much longer forfthe less adept. Then too, somedentists simply 'do not have the time or patience for-this sort of workand turn it over to' a laboratoryat considerable expense. It is thisarticulationachieving phase of 'dental restoration work which makes setsof artificial teeth so much more expensive than would otherwise bewarranted, considering the cost'of material and time actually occupiedin viitting the plates to the mouth'A of the patient.

Having/the foregoing in mind,'I providefor' the expeditiousl andquantity production of anatomically-articulated sets of upper and' lowerteeth, including partial and complete-sets, by rst; havingy perfectlyarticulated master setsI (uppers and lowers)` produced byan expert on anarticulatcr` inf the usual way. 1 Them-from each of the master sets soproducedtwo-sectionaleassembly molds are made, one-Y forV theV uppersetand the -other forthe'lowerset. Such sectional assembly molds provideseatingpockets for the reception ofv teeth corresponding f 'to-thoseemployed in` production of Fthe- -master -set. Thus, each assembly-"mold2 assures `of I the 'exact' duplication of fthe--setting of the teethVof v'the master set, including, of course, the precise arrangement oftheocclusional surfaces of the master set of teeth.

The'invention also contemplates the `permanent connection of the teethin the assembly mold prior'to removal of sameso that the-relationship ofthe occlusionalvsurfaces of-corresponding uppers 1 and lowers will notbe disturbed, the means employed'for.I connecting the teethy being suchas to enable thefsetfto be spread or contracted to conform to theparticular alveolar ridges in-which they are to be mounted.

Various other objects and` advantagesrofthe invention will be mentionedlater onv herein @or will be obvious tothose skilled in the art from areading of the following .descriptive matter in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

In accordance with the requirements of. the patent statutes, I haveillustrated in the drawings the now preferredformof my invention.However, it is to be understood that various changes and modificationsmay be madetherein within the scope of the subject matter claimedhereinafter.

yIn` the drawings, wherein 'the same reference characters havebeen'usedto designate'. the same parts throughout the several view-Fig.V 1 illustratesa mastersetoi teeth, uppers and lowers, which y"havebeen.` set by an expert, same being shown mounted cna dentalarticulator;

Fig; 21s a perspective view` of the base element of my novel' assembly4mold;

Fig; 3 iszaperspective view of the base element of. the assembly moldand illustrating the 'lingual mold section in place thereon, the' latterzproviding portions of thev tooth-receiving seats;

Fig. 4 is a plan view,-partly brokenaway; illustrating the lingualmoldsection in place on the base and, likewise,- the labialr and buccal moldsections, the'teeth being illustrated' inplacein the seatsandfconnecte'dby a` atwire;

'Figz 5, isaiperspective view of the assembled mold for either'anupperxor` lower set oi teeth;

Figf is a cross-seetionalview taken onthe line partly in section, of oneof the labial mold sections.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, and referring to Fig.1, the numerals i9 and II designate, respectively, the upper and lowersets of teeth which have been arranged in the usual way by an expertemploying the articulator shown. These sets I and II are referred tohereinafter as master sets. The articulator shown in Fig. 1 forms nopart of the present invention. It involves the usual base I andshiftable upper section I4 with the control projection I5 extendingthereabove.

The master sets of teeth I 0, I I, after they have been found to be inperfect anatomical articulation, are permanently mounted in the usualway and a sectional mold I B is produced from each of the sets IIJ andII so that teeth corresponding to those employed in the master sets I0and II can be assembled in such molds in the precise relationship of themaster sets. Since molds I6 are essential duplicates, a description ofone will suiice for both.

Turning now to the novel assembly mold, Fig. 2 illustrates the base ofsuch mold which is indicated by reference character I1, while Fig, 3indicates the lingual section I 8 of the mold in place on the base I1.'I'hen turning to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the labial and buccalside portions I9, I9a, I9b have been positioned in place to complete thetooth-receiving sockets which will be referred to later on.

And finally, the mold has the top section 20, asindicated in Figs. 5 and6 which also illustrate the lsections I1, I8, 20 as having a centralhole extending therethrough for the reception of a clamp bolt 22 whoseouter end receives the wing nut. 23. The head 22a. of the clamp bolt ispreferably received in a surface recess 24 in the bottom of the basesection I1 of the mold so that the latter can rest flatly on asupporting surface. Washers 25, 26 are interposed between the wing nut23'and the head 22a of the bolt, as illustrated in Fig. 6.

At this point it is proper to mention that the mold sections I1, I8, I9, I9a, I 9b, 20 will necessarily be initially produced using plaster ofParis or some initially plastic refractory material. Thereafter,however, the mold sections will be duplicated in known manner in metalfor the sake of permanence.

Now as to the detail formation of the various mold parts, Vand referringfirst to the base section I1 of Fig` 2, it will be noted that its topsurface has the .impressions 21V exactly conforming to the bitingorchewing ends of the set of teeth I0 or II 'of Fig. 1. These impressions21 in the base sectionv I1 are of a depth to reproduce, in addition tothe chewing or biting (occlusal) surfaces of the teeth, a slight portionof the length of same inwardly of said surfaces. Numeral 28 indicatesteeth'corresponding to those from which the master set (say, IU) wasproduced.

As shown, the base I1 is of vseven-sided form, but-its shape is ofcourse immaterial. Inwardly of the margin of the base the top surface'ofsame has the endless groove 29, while communicating with such groove 29at Awhat might be termed the rear of said base as viewed in Fig. 2 isanother groove of horseshoe form indicated at 30. These grooves 29, 30serve to properly center the mold sections I8, I9, I9a, I9b, as will beYpresently explained. y l

Turning now to Figs. ,31, vsand y'1, and referring particularlyto Fig..,Spit will be noted that 'the lingual mold section I8 has its straightrear edge I8a lying flush with the rear edge of the base section I1 andthat the sides and forward portion of said lingual section I8 are spacedinwardly of the endless groove 29 which is provided in the top surfaceof said base section I1. Inspection of Fig. 3 further indicates that thelabial (lip) and buccal (side) portions of the lingual section I8provide the inner or lingual portions 3I of the tooth seats which areprovided by the mold. These seat portions 3l are separated by inwardprojections 32 which extend half-way between the teeth 28 at at leastone point, preferably near the root ends of the teeth. The upper ends ofthe projections 32, as viewed in Fig. 8, are notched as indicated toclear the tooth-connecting wire 42 which will be referred to later onherein.

Accurate seating of the lingual mold section I8 on the base section I1is obtained by providing the under surface of the lingual section I8with a horseshoe-shaped protruding rib for reception in the groove 3D ofthe base, said rib being indicated by reference character 34; and thebottom surface of the lingual section I 8 also has the straight rib 33which is received in the rear portion of the groove 29 of said base I1.Thus accurate seating of the lingual mold section I8 on the base sectionI1 is assured.

The mold sections I9, I9a, I9b which complete the sockets or seats forthe teeth 20a have bottom ribs 35 adapted to be received in theunoccupied portion of the base groove 29 and the outer edges of saidsections provide the intermediate outer edge of the assembled mold, asindicated in Fig. 5.

Referring to Fig. 8, the buccal (or side) mold sections I9, and likewisethe forward (labial)` section I8 has an upstanding rib 39, while the topsurfaces of the sections I9, Illa, |917 likewise have upstanding topsurface ribs which join with one another when the parts are assembled,and

, such ribs 38, 39 provide the endless rib which is received in thebottom surface groove 40 of the top or root-compressing section 20 ofthe mold. as indicated in Fig. 6. f

Now as to the matter of assembling of the teeth in the mold I6, theinitial disposition of the teeth 28 in the mold is made after thelingual section I8 has been put in placev as illustrated inFig. 8. Thusthe seat portions 3| of said lingualsection I8 serve to cooperate withthe occlusal end seat portions 21 to effect at least approximatelyaccurate seating of the teeth 28. f y

The teeth 28, as indicated, have the preformed root grooves 4I, andbefore application of the labial and buccal mold sections I9a, I 9b, I9,a flat wire 42 is disposed inthe root grooves 4I of the teeth 28, asindicated in Figs. 3 and 4. The wire. 42 having been put in the groovesas indicated..l the labial and buccal mold sections I9a, I9b, I9. areput into place and the passage of the seatpor-' tion-separatingprojections 31 of said sections ,da,.,lbitlmectmg-engagementmlrtliecbrgespondingiglprojecticns .32 pfxthe lirrgnalrsention I8, serves.,to-1etnici: accurate seating ofzthegteeth f .ormotmoldisectionthinplace andfclampisame rather tightly intoengagementiwithf thea-.sub-

mold part assembly. .'lhis'iurthers-.tassures .,nifpreper:seatingotitheoc'clusalendsof thefteeth factiomo ,.th'eltopoxffrootfxsectlon orfthe moldffzo :Against .f heffexposedfiroot: ends .oflth'e -rfteethz.compresses .theacryliceinto thetooth'groovesldl. .Thenzafterztheacrylic .has set'andhardened; the top or rootfsection 20 of the mold isremovedlad :the other mold parts sepa-rated'.tozadmit-y of --reofthe-connected? assembly :of teeth 28 ksizhiclrffsj-illustrated infFig-"pimportanti-feature of the invention v:is that with the labial and buccalsec'tio'r'rs49d.,y 19h, I9 removed). and out or therway, f'tzi's'arsimpl'e matter to Slocateathwire 42 in theitooth grooves" t I and.int thenotches' providedv by'- the :tooth:- reces's.receivingrpartitions 32, 311mg. 8). `.The operation ofputting threwireI2' irrrplace` as-f'abovedescribed 'israptItofslightlyidisarrangeatleast. some .of the teetlhfsdth'atthe'ccclusal endsfarefimper'fecta lyseated inthe base-irecesses; 21. YHowever,ap-

plicationofthe buccal and labial sections I 9, Ilia,`

|91) and Ythe passage of their projections 31 to' engagement withfthetprojections` 32'- of the lingual section I9 causes a gentleshiftingV of such teeth 28 to refestablish a perfect t of' the occlusalends thereof in the base recesses 21. The mold I6 being sectionalthenished connected-set of teeth (seefFig. 9) can be readily removed, aswill be oovious.

rR-efepringuto the nishedsetfof teeth Napf-Eig. 9, which are connectedby the flat wire 42, it will be noted that the rounded mesio-distalcontacting portions of the teeth':28f:admit of such'out- Ward `or,inwardpivoting,movement as; will enable the assembled set to be spreadinwardly or outwardly as indicated in dotted lines in'Fig. 9

to conform tov the particular alveolar ridge in which they are to bexed, such action being permitted by the connecting wire 42. Inasmuch asboth vsets of teeth 28 (uppers and lowers) will be spread oropenedexactly the same amount to i'lt the alveolar ridges in which they are tobe set (said'fridges obviously being of identical spread) theocclusional relationship of the teeth 28 in the upper andr lower setswill not be disturbed. The connecting wire 42 being flat willresistother than'lateral movement, thus maintaining the initiallyachieved perfect anatomical articulation of thefsets when finished andinstalled in plates.

Although theinventions primary field `of utility isfreproduction ofcomplete dentures, yet it nevertheless is adapted to duplicate partialdentures. y So the expression set or set of teeth is to-,lbe interpretedbroadly.

It is believed from the foregoing that the details of my invention andits advantages will be readily understood and appreciated.

I claim: y

1. Means for duplicating a master set of upper and lower anatomicallyarticulated teeth comprising a separate sectional assembly mold of.hardymaterial foreach.: olrsaidzuppenandrlovver set, @said aholdhavingisa .series oiftoothweceiving sockets` 1formed by rtlre upper. orlower'fmaster set of teeth.- `as'.fthe/,case .maybe :said mo'ldf'comprising a; vbase Asection 'having .it'sftop surfaceV provided withYtooth seatproviding recesses conformlset of *'teeth, -a i secondmoldse'ction positionable upon `said base section and correspondingV to'the lingual 1 area 'ofn 'the l mouth, 1 said-lingual? sectionproviding'edge recesses shaped to conform lto'fthe lingualv portions ofteeth corresponding tothose of the master set; Aoutwardly projectingpartition elements f separating -said seat AVportions and 'adapted togproject f l approximately l midway between vseated --teethfseparate'*labiall and lbucc'al mold sections disposable on vsaid 'bases outwardlyofsaid' lingualy section, said* labial-'- and Ibuccal sections providingseating recesses in opposition to the seating recesses provided-bysaidlingual section, projections separating the i respective seatingrecessesof the labial and buccal sections, saidA projections adapted'toconta-ct between teeth with'` the seatsepara'ting projections of saidlingualportionat at leastone. point inwardly of the root" ends oftheteeth,l the outer end of at least one of said contacting projectionsbeing cut away toprovide a'tooth connector accommodating notch, aclosure-providing mold section disposable over the rootfends of thevteeth: and uponsaid lingual, llabial and buccalv sections -forcompressing sealing material in the tooth grooves, the contiguoussurfaces of said mold sections having intertting p position-dening meanswhereby to prevent relative sideward shiftingr of the 'assembledsections, and means for compressing said sections together.

2. Means' for"duplicatingamaster set of upper and lower anatomicallyarticulated teeth comprising a separate sectional assembly mold of hardmaterial'for each of said upper and lower set, said mold having a seriesof tooth-receiving sockets'forme'd by the upper or lower` master set ofteeth, as the case may be; said mold comprising afbase section .havingits-top surfacev provided 'with tooth seat-providing recessesconformingto' thebiting or occlusal endsof the master set of teeth, a second moldsection positionable upon said base section and corresponding to thelingual area of the mouth, said lingual section providing edge recessesshaped to conform to the lingual portions of teeth corresponding tothose of the master set, outwardly projecting partition elementsseparating said edge recesses and adapted to project approximatelymidway between seated teeth, separate labial and buccal mold sectionsdisposable on said base outwardly of said lingual section, Vsaid labialand buccal sections providing seating recesses in opposition to theseating recesses provided by said lingual sec^` tion, projectionsseparating the respective seating recesses of the labial and buccalsections, said projections adapted tofcontact between teeth with theseat-separating projections of said lingual portion at at least onepoint inwardly of the root ends of the teeth, a tooth connectorcompressing closure-providing mold section disposable over the root endsof the teeth and upon said lingual, labial and buccal sections, and thecontiguous surfaces of said mold sections having interttingposition-defining means whereby to prevent relative sideward shifting ofthe assembled sections.

3. Apparatus for usel in assembling and connecting teeth to exactlyduplicate occlusially and otherwise the relative positioning' of theteethin an upper or lower master set and comprising a sectional assemblymold of hard material having tooth-receiving and embracing socketsformed by said master set, said sockets being adapted to receiveindividual unconnected teeth'corresponding to those of the relatedmaster set, said mold comprising a base section having surface recessescorresponding to the occlusal or biting ends of the master set teeth, araised portion on said base and providing lingual tooth-receivingrecesses as continuations of the lingual sides of said base recesses,said recesses forming part of said tooth-receiving sockets andcooperating to sustain in position teeth as they are placed therein, andseparable labial andbuccal moldsections having toothsocket-completingseat portions arranged in oppositionto the respective seat portions ofthe lingual mold section. j

4. Apparatus for use in assembling and connecting teeth to exactlyduplicate occlusiallyand otherwise the relative positioning of the-teethin an upper or lower master set and comprising a sectional assembly moldof hard material having tooth-receiving and embracing sockets formed bysaid. master set, said socketsbeing adapted to receive individualunconnected teeth corresponding to those of the related master set, saidmold comprising a base section having surface recesses corresponding tothe occlusal or biting end-s of the master set teeth, a raised portionro-n said base and providing lingual tooth-receiving recesses ascontinuations of the lingual sides of said base reces-ses, said recessesforming part of said tooth-receiving sockets and cooperating to sustainin position teeth as they are placed therein, separable labial andbuccal mold sections having tooth socket-completing seat portionsarranged in opposition to the respective seat portions of the lingualmold section, and a closure ysection compressible against the root endsof the teeth and the surfaces of the surrounding sections for securing afastening element to the root ends of the teeth.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, and clamp means for securingsaid sections in assembled relation.

6. The combination setforth in claim '4,.an`d contiguous surfaces of.said mold sections-having intertting position-denning means.

7. The combination set forth in claim 4, and contiguous surfaces rofsaid mold sections having intertting position-defining means, and clampmeans for holding saidL mold sections in assembled relationship. 1

8. An assembly mold of hard material for the purpose specifiedcomprising a base section, toothv socket 'portion-providing lingual,buccal and labial portions rising vfrom said base, each of lthe buccal,.labial and rlingual sections having lateral projections, and theprojections ofthe labial and `buccal portions engaging projections ofthe lingual portion to separate'adjacenttooth socketsatat leastonepoint,'said base providing tooth seats at the inner ends of saidsockets, and at least certain of saidy buccal, labial vand lingualportions being removably seated on said base. 1

9.- The combination -set forth inv claim-8, and at least one of eachpjair of socket separating projections being cut away adjacent thev.root ends of adjacent sockets to accommodate'a tooth connectingelement.

10. The combination set forth in 'claim 8, and

at least one of each pair of socket-separating` projections being cutaway adjacent the root ends of adjacent sockets to accommodate a toothconnecting element, and a closure section for said mold compressibleonto the labial, buccal and lingual sections for securing a fasteningmedium to adjacent teeth.

SIDNEY C. FOURNET..

REFERENCES oiTED The following references are of record vin the file, ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES 'PATENTS

